The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-09-17
POWELL'S KEYNOTE.
Opening of the Democratic Gam
paign in Butler County.
Speech by Hon. Thomas n. Powell mt
Hamilton, o., September Z,

Hamilton, o., September Z,
Fellow Citizens: II Ia q matter OF personal
gratifcption that I am permitted to make my
opening speech in this campaign in this county
OF magnificent Democratic mnjoritics. II IL u
source of still greater pleasure that the invita-
tion which inaugurnted this meeting was pre-
scented In behalf of the loyal Democracy OF hut
Ter County by their brilliant and able leader,
James II. Campbell Tho promises OF gcncr-
Gus, enthusiastic reception have been more
than realized. The spirit and determination
manifested by this vast audience, which In
ciudcs many of our leading men from Ill sec
tons of the State clearly indicates that our
party intends to do us well Ny inc rs IL did four
years ago for George Hoadly, when in this city
IL started him upon n campaign which resulted
In making him Governor OF Ohio by more than
twelve thousand majority.
At the very threshold Of this contest desire
TO call your attention 10 tho fact that In his
speech of acceptance ut Toledo. Governor For
akcr asked for my Judgment ms to some matters
OF his official conduct, and also served notice
that he had more questions OF u similar char
1ctcr to follow. am ready 10 answer them all
tonight, and give my judgment of his entire Nd
ministrution, so far as the limits OF single
speech will permit
In the first place the Governor OF Ohio should
set an example in his own conduct OF loyalty to
established order and good government Whom
ever in public place or speech, he refers to the
President of the United States, 1t should be
with at leasta decent respect for the Chief
Magistrate of over sixty millions of people and
the highest elective Office on earth. Tho Prcsi-
dent represents the dignity OF our Republic be-
fore the other nations OF the world His
reputation should be 0s sacred to every
fair-mndcd citizen as his own. In def
nncc of this sentiment Govcrncr Foraker
in u large convention not only claimed thut
President Cleveland was lacking in courage of
every kind but made tho express charge of
cowardice against him by comparing him to u
whipped spaniel" Such universal censurc
came at once from private citizen and public
press that even the Government hastened to
join the majority and pass judgment OF con-
demnation on his own conduct. With the swift
ness of the telegraph he sends un invitation to
the President he had insultcd TO hasten to Ohio,
so we could all unite in doing honor to his dis
tinguished presence" The last heard. Presi-
dent Cleveland had not yet reached the Exccu-
tive residence ut Columbus.
Again, there are in Ohio ut least four hundred
thousand Democratic voters They have done
rs much to advance the credit standing and
reputation of our State us was ever done by
the same number of people. In all things
which constitute good citizenship they have no
superiors. They have right to expect ut the
hands of their highest official decent Language
and fair treatment. Yet in the same State Con-
vention we find Governor Foraker publicly pro-
claiming to the world that. when he was in
augurated our party had not left enough cash
i'll the treasury to clean up the dirty Demo
cratic tobacco spit in tho State House." II will
not be necessary for me to take exception to
the fact of u Governor OF four millions of people
entering the field and appropriatng the Ian
guage of ward politics. His own party has al
ready done the work of ccnsurc His State Ex-
ecutive committee is now circulating II second
pf hat mil n tlta tar bnc
been both revised and reformed. All such cic-
giant language and choice expressions as dirty
Democrats have been carefully eliminated.
But, in matter of substance, the speech re-
quircs another and more radical revision IN Or
der to conform to the facts. Instead OF there
being no cash on hand to pay jantors when his
term OF office began, there was in the Treasury
on the dag of his Inauguration the sum OF SILL
29?50 In making such statements Governor
Foraker must have intended to impress upon
the people of Ohio either one or the other of
two facts. that there was money in the
treasury, or that his administration was SO ex-
travagant it required an immense sum to per-
form very slight service. AS to which he in
tended l leave him to explain. One year ago
the campaign was opened In Ohio on the part
OF the Republican party, by the Governor him
self, in Il carefully prepared speech, at Colum-
bus. On the unsupported testimony OF few
persons who were at the time both lunatcs and
convicts. he arragned the whole Democratic
party. He charged us with crimes against the
living and acts of inhumanity against the dead.
He claimed that one of our industries in the
management of the pcnitcntiary was the manu-
facture of canes composed Of alternate layers
OF the tanned skins of Irishmcn and negroes.
He, therefore, appealed to both races 10 rally
to .he support of his party in order that proper
protection could be given to their dead. The
investigation which followed established the
fact that this charge was matter of pure fic-
ton. As II dramatic performance. this speech
was brought out at the Metropolitan Opera
house in Columbus. Like the dramas OF most
amateurs it failed on its first night 1t never
had second delivery. The only substantial
result was that the county in which the speech
wasmade, and where the truth was known,
gave an increased Democratic majority of from
twelve TO fifteen hundred
For twelve months the Republican press have
been explaining and apologizng for that speech,
yet the Governor has started in this the same
plane and line.
On the first day of the Republican Convcn
ton, in reception speech in the streets OF To
ledo, he called the entire Democratic party in
Ohio the Rebel brigade" and declared his lines
were forming so he could sweep over us without
ceremony and without mercy. On the next day
in open convention, he closed his speech of 40
ccptance by declaring we were men filed with
Confederate IDEAS and that he was about tC
drive us ''as leaves before the whirlwind into
an ocean of defeat and contempt" The Ian
guage is beautiful, but the idea Is terrible. We
are not only to be destroyed but We are to be
denied the right of Christian burial. We art
all to find common grave beneath the wild
waves of the sea. This time it is not comedy
but high tragedy He is to play the rOfc O
Moses and enact another Rcd Sea disaster
Such marvellous performances have not beer
undertaken by q single person since the day o.
Don Quixote. 1t is altogether probable thai
this lutter-duy imitatOr of that SDlnish Knight